Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.

JEREMIAH 18:20KJV
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Jeremiah 18:20 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 18:20 mean?

Jeremiah 18:20 describes Jeremiah asking God why people are trying to harm him when he has only tried to do them good, reminding God that he has prayed for them and tried to protect them from God’s anger. Jeremiah is troubled that his kindness is being repaid with evil intentions.

In this verse, Jeremiah is speaking directly to God about his situation. The people of Judah, whom Jeremiah has interceded for, are plotting against him—described as digging a pit for his soul, meaning they are setting a trap for his life. Jeremiah points out that he has stood before God to speak good on their behalf, asking God to remember his efforts to turn away divine wrath from them.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 18:20

  • "evil" (רַע, raʿ): This word means harm or bad things, not just moral evil. Jeremiah is asking if harm should be given in return for good.
  • "recompensed" (שָׁלַם, shalam): This word means to repay or return. The sense is of a transaction—Jeremiah wonders if it is right for good to be "paid back" with harm.
  • "digged" (כָּרָה, karah) and "pit" (שַׁחַת, shachat): These words together paint a picture of someone digging a trap or grave, a common image for plotting someone's downfall.
  • "soul" (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh): This word often means "life" or "self," so the pit is for Jeremiah’s very life, not just his feelings.
  • "Remember" (זָכַר, zakar): Jeremiah is asking God to actively recall his faithful actions, not just to have a passing thought.

Why Jeremiah 18:20 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Jeremiah’s suffering is not because of wrongdoing, but because he tried to help the very people who now oppose him.
  • The verse highlights the personal cost of being a faithful messenger, especially when the message is unpopular.
  • Jeremiah’s appeal to God’s memory connects to a larger theme in the book: God’s awareness of justice and injustice, and the prophet’s honest struggle with his calling.

Where else these words appear

“pit” Hebrew H7745 · used in 5 verses

  • Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.
  • Proverbs 23:27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
  • Jeremiah 2:6 Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

“digged” Hebrew H3738 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 26:25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.
  • Job 6:27 Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.
  • Psalms 94:13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

“recompensed” Hebrew H7999 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 44:4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
  • 1 Kings 9:25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
  • Proverbs 6:31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

“wrath” Hebrew H2534 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 27:44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
  • Psalms 106:23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
  • Lamentations 4:11 The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.